


Whiteout

by Over_Blackout



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Demonstuck, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-06-06
Packaged: 2018-01-20 20:59:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1525493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Over_Blackout/pseuds/Over_Blackout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'You will die if you make this deal, you know that, right?'</p><p>'Yes.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jake

'You will die if you make this deal, you know that right?'

'Yes.' 

You do know, but you promised her, you promised you would keep him safe. That promise has been broken, temporarily, but you can fix it, you can fix it right now if you die.

That seems like a small price. You don't wanna live without him anyway.

It cocks its head at you, green eyes flashing luridly in the dim light as it considers your answer, taking in the sight of your blood-covered shirt, your slick red palms. None of it is yours. It's his, all his.

Dave is lying, motionless, in the middle of the summoning circle and its funny because he usually looks so good in red but-

No. No. You can't see if you are crying, and you need to keep your eyes open, you need to see this.

'What's you name?' You ask it. You figure since you are gonna die, knowing who killed you can't hurt. 

The demon blinks, recoiling slightly and you see the fold of its double eyelids slip-slide in place before opening to reveal too-green eyes. Huh. You didn't know they had those.

Bit late to be finding out now.

'Jake English.' It tells you.

That's a...relatively human sounding name. It suit him. You guess it's a him. It looks like a male.

'And you are?' He asks you, stepping closer. There is something so impossibly predatory in his steps, something smooth and feline.

You force yourself not to move back. You are not here to kill, you are here to deal.

'Strider. Dirk Strider, Now save him. Please.' The moon is reaching its highest waxing point, you need to do this now.

A long, elegant arm whips out and his fingers close around your throat, you swallow once. Fuck he was fast. And strong. You glance at Dave's lifeless body over his shoulder and you can't help the stupid, sad little smile breaks out on your face.

'C-Could you tell him I'm sorry? Tell him I'm sorry and I promised his mother I wouldn't let anything happen to him. Tell him this is my fault and to give up demon hunting and find someone he loves instead. Could you tell him that?' The last of your sentence gets a bit chewed up because you have started crying.

Jake looks at you oddly, you think you see a weird little flash of something on his face – was it pity? - but then he becomes a blurred green-black blob when hot, salty tears squeeze out the corners of your eyes.

He gives you one careful bob of his head, not once breaking eye contact. He will.

'Thanks.' You tell him, smiling a bit softer at him. Dave has to know this is not his fault. It's your fault, all your fault. You shouldn't have brought him tonight.

His fingers clench and your feel his claws dig into the back of your neck, harder and harder until you feel them break the surface and blood runs down the back of your sweatshirt. It's getting harder to breathe, you feel sick and dizzy and light-headed all at the same time. Something is growing in your chest, something burning and bright, building and building until it feels like your ribs are cracking, breaking outwards under the pressure.

You look over it's – _Jake's_ \- shoulder in times to see Dave move, his eyes flutter open as he stirs, focusing on the sky. The last thing you hear is-

'Bro?'

Then your heart explodes and everything whites out.


	2. Waking Up

_Ow ow ow fuck_

Everything hurts. Literally. Everything. It feels like someone has set a fucking bomb off in your chest and then decided to tap dance all over the remains of your internal organs. It feels like all the hangovers of the world have combined and snaked into your blood and you are probably going to die. 

_Fucking ow_

It feels like you're in a bed, your bed by the way it smells. And you are covered by a thin blanket. Which is not yours, cuz it smell like flowery-covered-shit. Urgh. But you are in _your_ bed, that is a good sign at least, you haven't be carried off to some fucking cave or abandoned house or anything.

You should get a medal for the amount of effort it takes to wrench your eyelids apart, a fucking solid gold, dinner-plate-sized medal. Dave had better get you a medal-

No. 

Wait.

You shouldn't be able to open your eyes. You shouldn't be able to do anything, you're supposed to be _dead._

Dave.

Dave. Dave. Where is Dave. Dave was dead but you made a deal, it promised, it promised it would bring him back. WHERE IS DAVE?

Wow, shit, trying to move was a really dumb idea. But the groan you let out summons a familiar white-blonde head and your heart flutters wildy in your chest, hope rising before you can crush it down.

It's Dave. Alive, breathing, warm Dave. You have _never, ever_ been more glad to see your stupid shit of a brother in your entire life. He has a chair pulled up next to your bed, tucked right by your side and oh fucking hell yes, praise the fucking gods, its Dave. No blood to been seen anywhere. He looks at you, and the relief of seeing him obviously shows on your face because he smiles at you all soft and gentle and fuck, that is a good sight to see. But then he opens his shitty, sarcastic mouth-

'Woah Bro, you look like shit. Or are you going for that undead look that I have heard is just so popular these days?'

And your laugh sounds fucking awful, like someone has stuffed sawdust into your lungs, and it hurts so fucking much but you do it anyway.

You never thought that you would hear that annoying voice again.

But on closer inspection (well as close as you can get from down on your shitty pillows) He looks about as bad as you feel, the punch of circles beneath his crimson irises stand startlingly dark against his pale skin, his hair is a mess and he looks like he hasn't slept in three days.

'Dave are you ok-'

There is an explosion of pain when his fist slams into your jaw, it has you seeing stars for seconds. He punched you in the FUCKING JAW.

'OW, JESUS, DAVE, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!'

When your vision decides to get with the program, you stare angrily in his direction, only to have your scowl break down when you take in the sight of his watery eyes.

'You goddamn stupid fucking dumbass. You brainless fucking dickhead moron. I hate you, I hate you so much.' He sniffs, wiping at his eyes with a too long hoodie. You know that hoodie.

It's your hoodie.

Shit, you are such a dick. But you couldn't live without him. You just couldn't. He has to understand that, right?

It feels like your arms are boneless plastic tubes, filled with a fuck-tonne of cement and raising one enough to touch the top of Dave's tousled head take so much fucking _effort_ but it is worth it, so worth it. Feeling the warm, soft strands under your fingers almost has you sobbing with him.

You never thought you would feel that again.

He stiffens under your hands and the sniffling stops for a moment. Then his chair-legs clatter out from under him as he throw himself on your chest, the most heart wrenching sobs clawing their way out his throat.

Fuck, fuck, it hurts, it really, _really_ hurts but that's okay. It's okay. Everything's okay as long as he's alive and warm and by your side.

He clutches at the blankets covering your chest, (lilac sheets you note distractedly, Rose's gift to you a couple of years ago) and you feel the heat of his breath thought the fabric. And the salt-damp of his tears.

'Bro, you stupid fuck, don't you ever do that again. Ever. You hear me you dumb shithead? Don't you EVER do that to me again.' He sobs 'I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead, you were just lying there, a pale and broken and I thought you DIED. WHY ARE YOU ASKING IF I'M OKAY?!' His voice breaks and dissolves at the end and it is all you can do not to cry with him.

You pet his hair until his crying stops, murmuring your affections quietly. _It's okay, it's okay, I got you, I got you. We're okay, Dave, we're okay_. The blanket is soaked with his tears when he finally lifts his head to look at you. His eyes are swollen and soft and you do not think you have ever loved him more, you crane your neck to kiss the top of his head, and take in the sight of his face. You drink up the freckles across the bridge of his nose and the blonde arch of his eyebrows, the shape of his mouth is just like his mothers and sometimes he reminds you of her so much sometimes, it's like a ice-pick to the chest.

Because you loved her too. A lot.

'I'm sorry.' You tell him, because you are sorry. But you would give your life for him in a second, and given the choice between you or him, you would choose him every time. 

Speaking of which, he hasn't said anything about the summoning circle, or the ritual that he woke up in and you are praying that he didn't notice. He might actually kill you before withdrawing into a shell of self-loathing and guilt and that would be really _fucking bad._ And he would tell Rose and Kan and they would raise you up only kill you all over again and Sol and Ed might even get involved. That is a truly pant-shitting thought. You are more scared of Eridan Ampora than any demon. Shit, you would pick fighting a demon over being yelled at by him _any_ day. Also Fuck, you need to call them soon too.

But you would do it again in a heartbeat. If you ever have to face the awful fucking sight of Dave bleeding out all over everywhere you will call a hundred thousand demons to bring him back. You would go to the last circle of hell and drag his soul out of the pit to take his place and you would kill all the angels up in heaven and all the demons down below to save him. You would take on God for Dave. You will _not_ break your promise again.

He smiles at you, a tiny, hesitant smile, but it's a smile, and you give him your dumbest, most massively dorky grin in return. That gets you a little snicker. Thank fuck.

'Water, Bro?' He asks you as moves he moves off your chest, scrubbing at his eyes.

'Yeah, please. And get a tissue, you freaking crybaby, you are looking pretty fucking uncool right now lil' man.' He smacks you on the chest before walking out the door. Ouch, that hurt. You raised one hostile little fucker.

Hell yeah.

You shift your gaze above you when he leave the room, sighing and trying to ignore the pound-pound of the beginnings of a truly magnificent headache-

And then blink rapidly because you are clearly hallucinating. Or you hit your head a bit too hard, or whatever drugs Dave had put on are really fucking strong because it's on your ceiling.

He's on your ceiling. Jake English is stretched out, the very picture of comfort, on your ceiling. He is looking directly at you, the too-green colour of his eyes soak up your every movement and he smiles this wicked, fangy smile when he knows you have seen him, and puts one elegant finger to his lips.

_Jesus Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I am sorry ;-; This will be another on going series ;-;
> 
> Thank you for reading ;-;


	3. Mac an' Cheese

Unfortunately for the both of you, your natural demon-hunting instincts kicked in in response to this.

And so, despite the massive amount of pain that you are in, you fling your arm out, grabbing the nearest thing to you and hurling it at Jake's head.

It's your alarm clock, your talking, orange alarm clock that went flying toward Jake and he was so busy looking shocked that you could move that fast while being seriously injured, that he forgot to block or stop said object from colliding with his face.

It smashes him straight in the nose. You have fantastic aim.

And he fell from the ceiling with a yelp of pain as your alarm clock bounced and clattered to the other side of the room.

'Jesus bloody Christ Strider, what the devil do you think you doing?!' Jake exclaims, catching himself before he hit your bed. He hovers over you clutching his nose, glaring at you as a long, thin tail twitches from side to side behind him. He had a tail?

How the _fuck_ did you miss that accent before? Fucking hell.

'Oh, I'm _sorry,_ I was just reacting to the fact that there was a FUCKING DEMON starting down at me from MY FUCKING CEILING.' You hiss at him as you struggle into a sitting position. You are in too much pain for this shit. One of your hands moves further and further under your pillow 'til it closed round the hilt of one of your favourite swords. The one that you keep with you no matter where you were.

You can't feel any hostile intent from him. He could have killed you while you slept if he wanted you dead; he could have killed you _and_ Dave, slurped up your internal organs and messed with your perfectly organised vinyl collection if he was so inclined. Why didn't he?

You can hear Dave creaking up the stairs again, fuck, fuck, _fuck_.

'Hide.' You tell it. _Him_

Jake just narrowed his eyes at you, still holding his face. There will be no way to explain to Dave why there is a demon on your bed and to be honest you'd rather not have to do it.

'Please, Jake.' Maybe if you're nice, he'll listen.

Jake rolls his eyes before shimmering out of existence and you take your hand out from under your pillow. Thank fuck for that, because Dave steps into your room a second later holding a glass of water and the phone, stopping to regard your fallen alarm clock. He raises one blonde eyebrow at you.

'It fell.' You tell him.

'It fell. All the way to the other side of the room?'

'Yes.' That is exactly what happened.

'Okay then.' He shrugs and walks over to you, holding out the glass of water. He pulls a couple of painkillers out his pocket and hands them to you too. 

Ah water, delicious, delicious water. Never again will you call it boring and tasteless. You down the glass in one shot and then the pills, taking a quick glance toward the end of your bed.

Turns out Jake cannot go totally invisible, there is a green shimmery haze that surround him and if you squint you can make out the shape of his body. They must bend light around them or something, obscuring their image. You can only really see it if you're looking though, you will need to remember that for next time you go hunting.

You hand the glass back to Dave and regard the phone in his hand with some trepidation.

'Eridan called.'

_Fuck._

'He said you need to call him back ASAP, Bro.' 

Dave holds out the phone and you take it reluctantly, talking to Ed is not really high on you list of priorities right now. Figuring out why a demon called Jake is in your room however-

'Also Bro, I am making some mac an' cheese, and since you seem to be up and moving again, sorta, you want a plate full of my steamy dairy-filled love?' Dave asks you, blowing you a fantastically exaggerated kiss.

You pretend to swoon.

'Fuck yeah, lil' man.' 

Dave's Mac an' Cheese is the best.

'Cool. Now call him before I bring it up, or I swear to god I will call him for you.' Dave informs you as he wanders back out your bedroom door. You flip him off as he leaves. You really _did_ raise a hostile little fuck.

It has the potential for disaster, Dave could tell Ed plenty of thing that could ruin you and Ed would never let them go, your reputation would be irreparably damaged and _Rose_ would find out too. Fuck.

But then Jake decides to join your plain of existence again, floating visibly at the foot of your bed, and you have bigger things to worry about. Like, for example, how the fuck did he get in? Your apartment, your little, shoddy apartment has more wards, and seal and locks on then you can count, it is practically a fortress against the dark forces and usually demons have to be _invited_ in.

Unless they're high class.

And by the look of him he is. 

Short, but elegant horns curling over his thick, dark hair and his fangs glitter when he smiles at you. He look human, but not quite. Not fully. He is too beautiful, too predatory and the green of his eyes glows like radioactive emeralds.

A High class. Fuck.

That makes him very, _very_ powerful. And very dangerous. You have faced only a handful of High Class Demons in your life and you can count the ones you managed to kill on one hand.

And you, you are the best in this business.

Jake leans forward and your hand goes back onto your sword.

'Well, Strider? Are you going to call this 'Eridan' person or not?' He asks you, his gaze trained on your face like he is looking for something. It's kinda unnerving really.

You notice he has forked tongue to go with that tail. Figures.

'I don't think he would appreciate being overheard by a soul-sucker, if I'm honest.' 

'Soul-sucker? I'm hurt.' He gives you this terribly fake-wounded look. It's almost as bad as Dave's.

'I think I can live that.' You tell him, sliding the sword closer to you and he laughs. Which is a nice sound actually, rough and charming and _holy shit has he glamoured you-_

No wait, he can't you, have a charm tattoo for that.

'Why are you here?' You ask, glancing at the door for any sign of Dave. None yet, he must not have heard Jake laugh. Thank god.

'Because you are.' He tells you, floating closer to you. He is now hovering over your chest. 

...What.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, sorry about this shoddy chapter, I am still working out what is going on here, pls forgive me ;-;
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Mark

You gape extremely intelligently at the demon now hovering over your chest. Clearly, you have unintentionally picked up a special case because 'Jake' seems to be a _bit_ touched in the head. Or, going by what he just said, you have now acquired a demon stalker, which, to be honest, does not seem much better.

'...What.' 

That is the only thing you can come up with. Fantastic work young Strider. You can literally _feel_ the blood beginning to pound in your temple. 

You are too beat up to deal with this shit right now. But, _oh wait,_ you shouldn't be able to feel this beat up because you _should_ be dead. By the hands of this _thing _floating over you, who has declared he is here in your apartment because you are.__

__This is so fucked up on so many levels._ _

__He grins and leans closer and you pride yourself on not flinching back. Every demon killing instinct is telling you to get out, GET OUT NOW but you don't move. You just watch._ _

__You are literally inches away from something that could kill you 500 times over and then bring you back for tea. High Class Demons bound by nothing by but a few temporal laws, their word and her Imperious Condescension. They are unbelievably difficult to kill, and doing so requires a monumental amount of effort; seals, wards, blessed swords, knives, holy water, silver, verses in Latin, Greek and Archane, rune circles and something from their body (usually hair or blood, but claws work too). In short, they are scary as fuck._ _

__And you are staring one in the face._ _

__Jake grins at you, one hand snaking out to pull the lilac sheet down to uncover half your torso. It is just then that you notice that you are only wearing underwear. Fuck. He uncovers your bare skin and the smile widens. You are covered in scars, claw marks, knife wounds, bites and you have several ward/charm tattoos, anti-glamour, anti-fright, anti-possession and quite a few more (all done by Rose's lovely wife, her skill is unparalleled when it comes to body ink) but there right in the middle of your chest was a new mark._ _

__Jake places one long, clawed finger over it, tracing the edge with the very tip of his nail. He is very warm, you note absently, his temperature much higher than a normal human body._ _

__It's a skull. Over your heart. A green skull._ _

__It shimmers slightly, the edges the same colour as Jake's eyes and it shifts under his finger, moving slightly. Wow, no, that has to stop. Right now. You bat his hand away because him touching it makes it itchy and hot and he is grinning at you like a demented thing when he says-_ _

__'That's mine.' He pauses to show you a ring on his finger. It's the same symbol. The exact same._ _

___Well, shit._ _ _

__'That's mine. Your mine. You belong to me now.' He crows as you freeze in shock, staring at the mark on your chest. How the fuck did this happen? HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN?!_ _

__He is still smiling, a huge triumphant smile as he leans forward again, tugging your chin up, his nose skims the side of your and then his hot, full lips are pressed against yours. You unfreeze then._ _

__And sock him in the jaw._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hELLO SORRY FOR THE SHORT CRAPPY CHAPTER I have been very unwell again and that make stuff like typing and thinking hard ;-;


	5. Phone Calls

The solid feel of warm flesh beneath your knuckles was immensely satisfying. 

Jake's head snaps back and he falls onto your legs with a little yelp of shock. You didn't hurt him, you couldn't: nothing less than an archane-inscribed, blessed knife could even begin to leave a mark on his skin. They are tough fuckers. It was kinda thrilling though, you have never punched anything higher than a C-Class and you just hit one of the most powerful being in existence.

In the face.

_Fuck yeah._

Now, moment of triumph over, on to the next issue. WHY THE FUCK DID HE JUST KISS YOU?! You scrub at your mouth, it didn't feel like he had slipped you anything, there was no crackling feeling of magic on his lips. So he just kissed you.

He just kissed you. A high class just kissed you. On the mouth.

Wow no, this cannot be happening. This is a dream, please let it be a dream.

Jake floats but up into a sitting position, glaring at you like _you _had done something wrong.__

'What the devil did you do that for?' He asks staring at you from the foot of your bed. He doesn't move closer again, which is probably wise because you are extremely likely to punch him in the face again. Probably with your sword.

'You kissed me.' Your face is a carefully controlled deadpan. You give him nothing he can use.

'Yes, I did Strider. Would you like me to do it again?' One of those ridiculous green eyes is obscured momentarily when he winks at you. This is the exact moment you decide you hate this fucker.

You pull out your sword then, holding it directly level with his lips. It takes a lot to hold it steady when you are so tired and in this much pain, but you do it, because you are Dirk fucking Strider and you don't take shit from anyone.

His pupils dilate visibly, the radioactive irises shrinking to the barest ring around the black pool of his pupil as he looks at you over the line of your blade.

'I am so glad I kept you, Strider, we are going to have a _ball_ together.' Jake whispers to you, eyes directly on yours. It's hypnotic, like magnetism. He leans forward to kiss the tip of your sword and you push it harder into the flesh of his lips: it splits under the wicked-sharp metal.

You hurt him. You hurt him and he _let_ you do it.

His blood is forest green as it rolls down his chin, transfixing and so alien. It makes mark on you chest itch.

You open your mouth to ask him _Why, why you, why didn't he kill you? Why did he kiss you? Why-_

Then the phone rings, it's shrill chiming cutting though the spell of the room and the illusion shatters. Jake is just another demon again, one you will have to kill later.

You lower your sword and check the caller ID and the name flashes up. You wince.

E. Ampora. Eridan.

Fuuuuuck.

You force yourself to press answer, bringing the phone up to ear as you glance your eyes back on Jake, putting a finger to your lips and making a cut throat sign. _talk and you are fucking dead_. He is grinning like a lunatic at the foot of your bed, green blood drying on his chin and you flip him off, scowling as his smile widens. 

'Hey Ampora.' 

There is silence at the other end of the phone, but some how, you can _feel _the irritation and anger trickle through the static. Then Eridan voice slices through the white noise like a dagger.__

'Strider.' His word are short, clipped. 

You are in deep shit. 

Eridan is the very best linguist and demonological historian in the business. There is no one better than him at translation, research and classification and without his help you would have died at least 3 times already. He comes from a long line of demon hunters, his ancestors going further back than even yours and his family is rooted in old money and even old ways. In short, Eridan has got some _serious_ skills. 

Which is why it is extremely bad to piss him off. And clearly, you have pissed him off. You are _so_ dead. 

'Would you like to explain to me, Dirk, why I got a hysterical phone call in middle of the fuckin' night from your younger brother, who was standin' over what he thought was you dyin' body even though there were _no_ visible wounds on you?'

You must be extremely careful about answering him here, one wrong step and you could set off a fucking verbal bomb. 

'I was on a job.' 

Wow, nice one, fantastic fucking work there Dirk. There is _deadly_ silence on the other end of the line. 

'...You were on a job. YOU WERE ON A FUCKIN' JOB? REALLY STRIDER, I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS ONE OF YOUR FUCKIN' HOBBIES TO LAY DOWN A PLAY DEAD WHILE ON A JOB. YOU COMPLETE DICK. HOW FUCKIN' DARE YOU INSULT ME LIKE THIS, I KNOW IT WASN'T JUST A SODDIN' JOB, NOW YOU TELL ME RIGHT THIS SHITTIN' SECOND WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOIN' WHEN YOU-' 

He breaks off, and you can here Sollux's low voice murmuring close to the phone. It's not a language you recognise both of them being multilingual (well Sol is bilingual), and you hear Eridan respond furiously but his voice is cracking and his breath shudders and woah, you really are a piece of shit. You hear Sollux kiss him quickly and the sound of the phone changing hands. 

'Hey there prick.' 

You like Sollux, you really do, you liked him from the first moment you met him. Sol Captor is Eridan's partner, a technological genius and hacker with a thing for duality, his new gadget have made your job so much easier. Plus his ability to hack into info databases without leaving a trace makes finding potential cases so much easier. He's a tall, skinny, sarcastic little shit who adores Ampora from the bottom of his teckie heart and they are nauseatingly sweet together. He also has a lisp. 

'Yo geek-boy, how are the bees doing?' 

Sollux keeps bees. The honey he occasionally gives you is to die for. 

'They're good dick-fathe.' A pause. 'He wath really worried you know.' 

You heart squeeze in your chest. Of course he was, for all his bluster and angry words, all Eridan does his care. He is one of your best and oldest friends and you have known him for a long, long time. 

'I know. I'm sorry. I am really sorry.' You tell him. You are sorry, so sorry. 

'Can you tell uth what happened? Or do you have to keep it to yourthef for a bit?' 

'I don't really know what happened. I will tell you as soon as I remember.' The words taste bitter on your tongue. 

You're lying, they can never know what you tried to do. 

'Thankth. Altho there ith thome demonic omenth appearing up near Nepeta and she athked if you could check it out when you feel better.' 

Another job. Sounds good. 

'I'm down, gimme a day to rest up here, tell her i'll be there in a couple of days.' 

'Will do,' He says, then lets out a sigh. 'I'll talk to Ed for you.' 

Sollux Captor is a god given angel. 

'Thank you.' This way you don't have to come up with some complicated lie and shoulder more guilt for upsetting him. You hate lying to them, they deserve so much better than this, but you can't give it to them. Not now anyway. 

'It'th kay dick-prince. Get thome retht tho you can be your uthual thunny thelf for Nep.' 

'You have a boyfriend and _I'm_ the dick-prince? I think you have this backwards Sol.' 

'You are thuch a prick' He laughs, 'Talk to you later.' 

'Bye, four-eyes.' 

'Bye, bitch.' 

'Bastard.' 

'Fucker.' 

'Nerd-face.' 

'Anime-Shades.' 

*click* 

Dude the shade are cool. Never insult the shades. Speaking of shades, where are yours? 

You toss the phone down onto your lap, and run a hand through you hair, catching sight of Jake again. You almost complete forgot there was a demon in your room, and shit your senses must be outta wack because you have _never_ lost trace of a demon's presence. Jake is staring at you, at your mouth, and your realise you are still smiling. You fix your face immediately, wishing you were wearing your shades. It's so much easier to hide behind them. He tilts his head at you. 

'What.' You spit, rubbing your forehead with your fingertips. Everything hurts still. 

'You have a nice smile.' He says, and it sound sincere. If demons can _be_ sincere. 

Well, that was not what you were expecting. You are about to snap at him, when you hear Dave thumping up the stairs again. Fuck everything. You wave your hands at Jake to get him to do the disappearing thing and he goes along with you surprisingly easily. 

It's a start. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;-; Sorry, this is a short one, I have exams to fail and I am getting quite sick atm, please forgive me


	6. Jade

You sleep for the rest of the day, and for most of the next. You still feel bruised when you move around too much but you can do most of your basic moves without hurting (You are beginning to wonder if Jake _did_ do some freaky demon healing shit after you _specifically_ told him not to.) and you are ready to take on Nepeta's demon issue.

However you have two problems. No, wait, you have three. And they go like this:

1) There is no way in hell Dave is coming. Not after what happened, you cannot go through that again.  
2) Jake is still here.  
3) Nepeta's husband. 

Okay, the first one you can solve with relative ease, the second is a lost cause apparently and so you have to deal with the third. It's not that you don't like Karkat, he is just very fucking _angry_ all the time and when he is angry he goes off one these boring ass rants and you do not have time to deal with that shit. He's really good with amulets and cursed objects though, and coupled with Nep's hand to hand combat skills they make a fucking deadly team.

You just gotta pace yourself with the dude.

You pack your shit into you favourite duffel bag (It's orange, go figure) and holler at Dave to do the same, minus the weapons. Jake hovers by your side watching you slide knives, purifying salts and handguns in amongst your clothes. If you ever get stop-and-searched you are in some deep shit, you have no idea how you are gonna explain to some officer why you have all this shit.

You give Eridan a quick call and thank god when Sol answers the phone, you tell him you are off to see Nep now and will be contactable at hers if they find out anything more.

Dave rounds your door frame and Jake shimmers out of view again. He has gotten pretty good at that lately.

'Yo Bro, where we off to this time?' He asks as he dumps his red backpack on your bed. It's pretty cool actually, you bought it for him two christmases ago and it has a broken record on it. It's his favourite.

'You are going to see Jade, I can handle this one alone. Besides you haven't seen her for weeks and can't stop complaining about it you little shit.' You tell him as you zip up your bag. 

Jake is practically floating over his head at this point and if he looked up and focused he could probably see the green haze.

'What the fuck, Bro, come on, that means I gotta deal with Rose and Kan too.'

'I know lil man, three meals a day, no demon attack and constant mothering? Life sucks.'

'Bro.'

'Dave.'

'Shit, fine you asshole. I do wanna see Jade but you were really fucking hurt last time.'

You stop fucking around with you bag to look at him, he has his hands clenched in the fabric of his backpack and is refusing to look at you. Shit. You reach out and ruffle his hair, extremely careful to mess up the perfectly styled fringe.

'Don't worry, Lil' Man. I got this. 'sides Nep is gonna be there too and you know how good she is.'

His head turns under your hand and his squints at you through his shades.

'Yeah, okay.'

'Awesome. Tell Jade I say hi.'

Jade is Rose and Kanaya's foundling, they took her in when they found her on a hunt as a baby. Her family had been slaughtered by a demon Rose had been tracking and she has felt guilty ever since about not being fast enough to save them. Pretty thing; tan and athletic with big green eyes. Cheery disposition. She is also Dave's girlfriend, which is cute, watching them being happy together is something you enjoy. It's the life you wanted for Dave, a little bit of reality amongst all the fucked up stuff that goes on.

Dave works his mobile outta his skinnys and slopes of to text Jade while you phone Rose to give her a heads up about the warm body you'll be dropping round.

'Good morning?'

'Rose. It's Dirk.'

'Ah, brother dearest, to what do I owe the pleasure?'

'I'm gonna drop Dave round for a few days while I go see Karkat and Nep. He really wants to see Jade.'

'I see. Are we going to ignore the fact that you were seriously injured a couple of days ago and are avoiding the subject completely?'

'Yes.'

'Okay then. If that is the case, I will be needing regular updates as to your health status until you are ready to talk.'

'Accepted.'

'Wonderful, Jade will be so pleased to see Dave. I will be seeing you soon, my dearest brother.'

'Bye, Rose.'

Your sister is a very chill lady and you are frequently thankful for this fact.

'Who is Rose?'

Shit. 

The second problem has resurfaced. Jake is now visible and perched on your bed.

'My sister.'

'Your sister? Really? There are more of you?'

'Yes.'

'Interesting.'

You have no idea what that means. You sling you bag up onto your back and grab the keys to your truck off you bed's sideboard making a move for the door. Jake follows you.

'What the fuck are you doing?'

He blinks at you, like he's fucking surprised you are questioning him.

'Coming with you.'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Because I said so.'

'I fail to see how that is a valid reason.' 

'It is.'

'It is not.'

'Stay here.'

'I think not.'

'Please. I will come back and get you, just _stay put_ for now, Jake.'

Using his name has the desired effect; he softens visibly and stops scowling at you for a second.

'Give me your word you will come back. I can find you using that mark, but I would rather trust you to keep a promise, Dirk.'

He holds out a hand for you to shake and you roll your eyes. Fuck. You are stuck with this now. You take his fever warm hand in your own and shake his quickly.

'You have my fucking word.'

He smiles at you and plops backward onto your bed, watching as you hightail out the door and down to your piece of shit but truly beloved truck. You named it Sawtooth. Dave is already in the passenger seat when you lock the front door and make your way over.

The drive to Rose's is silent. He know you are hiding something from him and he hates that. It's very hard for you to see him like this, you wanted to shield him from all this, give him a good stable life but that turned out to be impossible. You promised you would keep him safe and he died on your watch. That cannot happen again.

You pull up outside Rose and Kanaya's town house and kill the engine, Dave hesitates before putting his hand on the handle. He turns to look at you with mirrored shades and you can see your reflection in them.

'I love you, Bro.'

'I love you too, Lil man.'

There's a little quirk in his lips but for some reason it makes your chest ache. He steps out the car and on the pavement, giving you one last glance before walking up to the door. You wait til he's inside to start the truck again and Rose waves at you from the one window, blowing you a kiss before turning back inside. She looks as good as ever.

You almost don't turn around. It is so tempting to just drive off, but Jake said he'd find you anyway because of the fucking mark and you'd rather not make thing more difficult for yourself. Fucking shit this is such a goddamn hassle. You sincerely hope he fucks off soon. If only you were so lucky.

Jake is practically beaming from the pavement when you pull up outside your house, bouncing on his heels like a fucking child and his tail whips back and forth when you stop next him. He does this weird flash thing and suddenly he is in your car, tucked into the passenger seat next to you. 

Fucking demons.

He grins at you with a mouthful of wicked, white teeth.

'So, Dirk, where are we going?'

You sigh. This is going to be a really long drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello babes, I am so sorry I have been really busy lately and this story just slipped my mind. I will try to update more regularly, I will def have more time in summer ;-;


	7. Long Drives

'Are we there yet?'

That is the _15th_ time he has asked you that fucking question, and the answer is still the same.

'No.'

'Why can't I just teleport us there? It would be so much faster than this old rust-bucket.'

_For fucksake._

'Because I said no. Stop whining.'

Jake makes a grunting noise and slides further down in his seat. You would tell him to put his seatbelt on but, let's face it, if you get into an accident the only one who is going to be hurt is you. You have only been on the road for about 3 and a half hours and it is at least another 15 minutes til you reach Nep's farm/cave thing. Dave doesn't whine like this when you have to take long trips and you are at least 94% certain he is much younger than the person slumped next you.

'Why are we going to this person again?' Jake asks as he taps his bare feet against your dashboard. You have noticed he never wears shoes or socks of any kind and prefers floating to walking anywhere. 

It's weird.

'You didn't have to come. And because she asked for my help.'

'With what?'

'What do you think.'

'Demons?'

'And we have a winner. Ten points to the horned creature on my right.'

'You know what, I do believe you are actually an asshole.'

'You are only just figuring this out, _now _?'__

__Jake only makes another stupid sound and slouches even further into the leather seats, twisting his rings round his fingers. That position cannot be comfortable._ _

__You put on a mix Dave made for you on your last birthday and crank up the volume til you can feel the beats pound under the surface of your skin. He's good at mixing music, almost as good as you and this track - Beatdown - is one of your favourites. Jake goes still beside you and you glance over; he is staring at nothing, looking intently in to the space outside the windowscreen of your truck like it holds the key to the universe and it is really quite fucking freaky._ _

__Then a grin spread over his face like slip-slide beats of Dave's mix and suddenly you are _really _fucking freaked out. This can mean nothing good.___ _

____'Are we close to this Nepeta-person's house.'_ _ _ _

____You blink._ _ _ _

____How the hell did he know that._ _ _ _

____Mind you he probably knows _a lot_ of thing, it probably comes with the whole being a high-class demon thing._ _ _ _

____'Yes.'_ _ _ _

____You _are_ close, very close. You are literally about to turn down the off road track that leads down to the house, Nep and her bestfriend Equius built together._ _ _ _

____'Good.'_ _ _ _

____No, no. This is probably anything but good._ _ _ _

____You are silent as you drive the truck down the stone-riddled, potholed path._ _ _ _

____You turn down the stereo until it is just a whisper of what it was as Nepeta and Karkat's little ramshackle, house comes into view. It is pretty though, wild flowers and creeping vines grow over the pale wooden cladding that covers the front of the house. Trees from the forest flank it on all sides and you can see the hammocks that you and Dave put up last time, hanging between a couple of them._ _ _ _

____It's nice here, you like it a lot. There is something pure about it._ _ _ _

____You pull up on the drive way and kill the engine, seeing Nepeta's little face pop up from the living room window. You can see her smile from here._ _ _ _

____A little popping sound comes from the seat next to you and Jake isn't there anymore. You can't see any sort of green haze so he must actually be gone this time. That makes a sick feeling sink in your stomach, you really hope he has not gone to fuck around with Nep or Kar's stuff or worse, _talk_ to them. That would be really fucking bad._ _ _ _

____The truck door creaks as it opens and you barely clear the car bonnet before you are assaulted by a tiny bundle of energy and joy._ _ _ _

____Nepeta hugs you hard enough to crack your back and you wonder for the millionth time where the hell she keeps all her strength. She is so tiny she barely comes half way up your chest but my fucking god did she pack a punch._ _ _ _

____You wrap your arms around her little, wiry body and lift her clean of the ground. Her laugh is wonderful and raspy in your ears._ _ _ _

____'Dirk! It's so good to see you!'_ _ _ _

____'Hey, Nep.'_ _ _ _

____You set her back on the ground and she grins at you, her face all crinkled up in happy lines. She could light entire cities with her smiles._ _ _ _

____Karkat is leaning against the porch behind the two of you, arms crossed as he looks you over. You give him a small nod and he gives you an almost smile back. These two could not be more different and sometime you wonder how they even get on. They always seen to be on the same wavelength though._ _ _ _

____'How are you? How's Dave? Have you been keeping busy lately? Oh my god, you will not believe what me a Kar came across last month, I swear-'_ _ _ _

____She is doing that thing where she talks so fast you can't really understand what she is saying and you are too tired to try and keep up._ _ _ _

____'Woah Nep, babe, I am gonna need some seriously strong coffee before we get into all that shit.'_ _ _ _

____'To the kitchen then!'_ _ _ _

____You are taken by the hand and marched toward the house. Karkat is still watching, he greets you when you are close enough for civil conversation._ _ _ _

____'Strider.'_ _ _ _

____'Vantas.'_ _ _ _

____You are steered into Nep's lovely little kitchen, sat down at the table and can only watch as she clatters round the room with mugs and coffee and sugar._ _ _ _

____Briefly you wonder where Jake could be, and pray that he is not fucking shit up while you are not with him._ _ _ _

____Karkat joins you both, kissing Nep on the cheek when she goes to the fridge for milk, before sliding into a chair next to you. Karkat is quite small too, shorter than you by a head or so and he has strange, maroon coloured eyes. You think you remember Nep telling you he comes from a big family? Indian, you think, because he has lovely coffee coloured skin, darker than Nepeta's scarred olive._ _ _ _

____'How is you little fuckhead of a brother?'_ _ _ _

____He and Dave get on really well, surprisingly._ _ _ _

____'Still as much of a little shit as when you last saw him.'_ _ _ _

____His laugh is like sandpaper but it makes you smile._ _ _ _

____Black coffee in a chipped mug clinks down in front of you, along with the sugar bowl. Nep knows you so well. You delight in the horror on Karkat's face as you heap 7 teaspoons of the delicious white grains into your cup._ _ _ _

____'That is fucking disgusting Strider.'_ _ _ _

____'So your face.'_ _ _ _

____'Mature, really. I am hurt by the depth of your insult, you brevity and wit astounds as usual and we are left in awe by your clever tongue.'_ _ _ _

____'Oh you have no idea how clever my tongue is.'_ _ _ _

____You wink at Karkat and waggle it for him. He goes spectacularly red, blood flooding his cheeks and you can see the rage building under the surface of his skin. You are gonna be in for it soon but this is _so worth it__ _ _ _

____'Fuck you, Strider.'_ _ _ _

____'That's a bit forward, Kar, you're not really my type, but if you want we can take this upstairs.'_ _ _ _

____'I SWEAR TO FUCK ST-'_ _ _ _

____Nepeta's voice cuts in._ _ _ _

____'Not now guys. Also Dirk stop antagonising him.'_ _ _ _

____She is smiling over the rim of her mug at you and Karkat visibly deflates. Say what you want about the guy but he does really love Nepeta, it is obvious everytime he looks at her._ _ _ _

____'Now, boys, if you are done flirting- Kar no stop, I know, shut up and drink you coffee - I need to talk to you about a possible demon problem.'_ _ _ _

____You settle back into the kitchen chair, coffee cup warm between your palms and listen to Nepeta talk._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I will try to update this more regularly but pls forgive me bc I am lazy piece of shit ;-;


	8. Ring

'Some demon is making beagle-puss crop circles and dropping Nic Cage statues everywhere.'

You cannot have heard that right.

'Beagle-Puss crop circles?'

'Yeah. Burned into the field all around town, and Nic Cage keeps appearing where the Mayor's monument should be. Oh yeah! Also, huge groups of Salamanders are turning up around here and for some reason they are blowing bubbles and wearing little blanket capes. It verrry cute actually.

Nepeta grins at you when she finishes, reaching for some sheets at the end of the table and tossing them over to you.

Well, what the fuck.

There is physically photographic evidence of these events. You are actually holding a photograph of bubble-blowing Salamanders wearing tiny capes.

_What the fuck._

You glance up at Karkat to see if Nepeta is having you on, but his face is set in its usual grumpy lines. Nepeta is quite good at hiding stuff but Kar has the _shittest_ poker face you have ever seen in your life and he is the one you have to look at to check if Nep is in the mood for pranks.

So this is real. This bizarre shit is truly happening.

'What the fuck.' 

'My sentiments exactly Strider. We think it's a trickster because, you know? They are the ones who pull weird shit like this to feed off the chaos and confusion it creates.'

_Fucking tricksters_

You hate those shitty things. Last time you had been hunting one, it dropped you and Dave in a House of Mirrors and bashed you randomly with inflatable hammers for a whole 45 minutes. It was an ass of a nightmare to catch, and by the time you stuck a sword through it you were ready to blow a fucking gasket. 

God you hate hunting them so much.

'Yeah, that sounds about right.'

'You wanna go grab your stuff from the truck and chuck it upstairs? We need to start planning a trap and Kar and I have got to dig out a few tools.'

You set you empty mug on the table and scrape your chair back, swinging round and making your way out the door. You wondered if Jake was back yet.

He's not. The truck is still empty when you walk over, everything untouched and exactly how you left it.

Where the hell was he? He kicked off about coming and now he has fucked off somewhere? What the hell?

Nevermind. You don't need to be thinking about that dumbass right now, you need to focus on the fucking awful job that you had been roped into and figuring out how you are gonna trap this fucker. God you really, _really_ hate tricksters. Dave thinks they're funny, _ironically funny_ he says and you don;t have a fucking clue what he is going on about.

The guestroom you usually stay in is right at the back of the house, it over looks the woods out back and you like watching the sun sink down behind the tree tops at night. Hvae you said that Nepeta's house is pretty yet? Because it is really, very pretty.

Karkat is standing outside the door to the guestroom.

Which is odd because he is rarely voluntarily alone with you. You both fight like cats and dogs and take turns winding each out up to the point of punching so you tend to have a peacekeeper like Nepeta or Dave or Rose around.

He looks very serious, but there is something sad around the corner of his eyes and mouth and the bottom of your stomach drops out when you realise what he is going to ask.

'I need to see her ring, Dirk, to check if the charm inscription has worn off.'

Roxy's ring. 

Karkat is one of only four people who knows about her ring and he is the only one who has seen it after-

You put you bag down at your feet and slip your hand inside your jacket pocket, feeling for the silk pouch you keep it in while Karkat looks at you with these pitiful sad eyes.

You can't bring yourself to touch it, even after all this time. That's why you keep it in the little bag.

You place it in his waiting palm and pick up your bag again. This is one of the many times you are thankful that you have perfected your expressionless mask and you keep it in place as Kar passes you. He hesitates, like he wants to say something, but then decides not to, moving quickly down the stairs behind you and out of sight.

Probably a good thing, because if he had said sorry you might have punched him in the mouth.

You turn the door to the guestroom and walking in, shutting the door behind you and slumping against it. Your bag slips from between your fingers and thumps against the floor as you breath slowly in and out.

Roxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I ma tryna work out where this is going atm


	9. Roxy

She was really beautiful, your sister. 

Roxy was beautiful.

You bought her that ring when you were 13, she had seen it in a shop window and smiled and told you that ring was _just_ what she wanted for her 18th birthday and you promised her you would get it for her. She just laughed and ruffed your hair, telling you that you would have to win the lottery or rob a bank and took you for icecream. But only You and Rose could have icecream and Roxy had to skip dinner that night.

She was always like that, treating you and Rose, making sure you never missed out even if it meant missing a few meals or doing more dangerous jobs. She took care of both of you even when she should have been looking after herself.

So you took as many jobs as you could, working for months with Eridan and his Brother, hunting and exorcizing and fighting. And you saved and saved and saved for months and months until you could go buy that ring for her. You remember walking into that shop, probably looking a mess and pointing to it, dumping the cash on the counter. You took it Kankri's after, he is Karkat's older brother and he inscribed a charm on the inside of the band that would make it glow, fire-hot when demon's were close.

It didn't fucking matter in the end though. It didn't save her.

You remember the shock on her face when she opened your gift and the smile that could have out-shone the sun. You remember her arms wrapping round you and hugging you so tight you could barely breath while hot tears soaked into the shoulder of your t-shirt.

_Thank you, Dirk, thank you, I love it so much, thank you_

You saw her for the penultimate time 3 days after you gave her that ring. She dropped you off at Eridan's house, telling you _this job might be a long one_ and she would see you both in a few months. She kissed you and Rose and told you to contact her bestfriend Jane if anything happened.

You spent a week and Eridan's, then a month at Jane's but she still didn't come home. 

She called every two days for the first week, then once a week for the next month. You lost all contact after the first year.

You were so sure she was going to be okay though, she was your big sister Roxy and she was the strongest hunter you knew and nothing could hurt her. She was going to be okay and she was going to come back to you and Rose.

You turned 14 and Rose turned 12 and you both moved back into the tiny apartment you shared with Roxy. You started hunting solo to bring in more money and you took care of Rose like Roxy took care of you.

You still believed she would come back.

And in the most fucked up, cruellest possible fashion, you got your wish. You got your wish 2 years after Roxy left and you _every fucking_ detail of that night no matter how deep you try and bury it.

Rose was with Nanna Jane that night and that is the only thing you are thankful for.

It was raining, that fucking awful movie cliche of absolute torrential rain, when somebody started pounding on your apartment door and you'd opened it prepared to punch whatever fuckwit thought it was funny to do this in the middle of the night, only to completely shut down when you saw who was outside.

Roxy was on your doorstep. You big sister Roxy.

She was shaking, soaked to the skin, usually curly blonde hair plastered to her forehead as she clutched a little bundle to her chest. She was covered in bruised, scratch marks, her clothes torn to shreds and she was barefoot in cold.

She was bleeding. 

Bleeding badly and you had caught her when she had pitch forward, dragging her in over the door step and into the hallway. She was so thin when you held her, so breakable and there was blood spreading like a blooming flower through the fabric of her shirt.

So much blood. There was so much blood. It was everywhere all over your hands and arms and staining your t-shirt and you felt like throwing up.

_Roxy, Roxy, Roxy, oh god Roxy, We have to get- we have to go to a hospital- Roxy please-_

Then the bundle she was still clutching began to cry.

It was a baby, she was holding a baby.

 _Dirk_ Her voice was so faint you had to bend over her mouth to hear her. _Dirk, promise me you'll look after him, promise me, please. Promise me you'll keep him safe, don't let anything happen to him._

She tried to move her arms, move the baby towards you, but she had lost too much blood, she was too weak and you took the warm, crying bundle from her chest and held him close.

You had been hunting long enough to know when something was going to die and your sister, your beautiful, brave sister was going die.

_I promise._

You were crying then, and you nearly missed her last smile because you were blinded by tears.

 _His name is...name is...Dave_

That was the last thing your sister ever said, before she closed her eyes, then you were left alone with a baby and your sisters blood slick on your palms.

_Roxy? Roxy? Please open you eyes, please, please, Roxy no, please don't leave me, I've only just- You have to- Roxy please, Roxy- ROXY_

She had come back to you for seconds, you had seen you sister for only seconds before she had been snatched away again and that twisted up your insides like a knife blade.

You remember praying that you were dreaming, that it was just a nightmare and you were gonna wake up to an empty apartment even though you knew _you knew_ you were awake.

Dave was still screaming from your arms and you remember peeling back the blankets that swaddled him, you remember staring at his little scrunched up face and your remember your heart stopping when he opened his eyes and revealed the red-pink irises that Roxy had. 

You don't remember calling Eridan though, or how you got to his house. You just remember staring at this tiny ball of life that had just been thrusted into your life and roching him slowly until he slept. You remember sobbing silently into Ed's shoulder while he stroked your hair and told you _it was going to be okay_ and you remember yelling and shaking and snapping at anyone who tried to take Dave from you.

He was yours now, your responsibility and you promised you were going to take care of him.

And you did, you did take care of him. You got up everytime he cried regardless of the time and you learn how to mix formula and how to hold him properly. You did everything you could think of to protect him because you loved him like you loved Roxy and nothing was ever going to happen to him. You would die before you let it happen.

It was Rose who gave you back the ring. 

She put it in a little pink silk bag and handed it to you without a word and you carry it everywhere. 

You don't ever look at it. You just...want to keep it close. You will give it to Dave some day and tell him all about his mum - but for now you will keep it hidden.

It is the only thing you have left of hers.

You still don't what killed her. 

But you traces the bloodtrail she left, nauseous and tear-blind until it cut off by the roadside. She was either dropped off, or kicked out or she took a cab or something but you had no idea where from, or how she got here, or what she came from. You knew nothing.

You still don't. 

Eridan told you what they found on her because you couldn't- you just couldn't look at her body- not after everything and you know she was been stabbed by something long and slim and sharp, like a nail or an icepick and the last thing she had been researching had begun with the the word 'C' because that was written on the inside of her wrist. She always kept her note there.

You will find what killed you sister and you will drag out it's death until it _begs_ for you to end it.

You run a hand though you hair and sigh-

You loved your sister, you really did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmmmmm not sure what is happening but I ma sorry for the shitty writing ;-; it three in the mornig and i will prbs hate this when i wake up and delete this chapter pls forgive me ;-;


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